


Could Be This Good

by tomatopudding



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-12
Updated: 2013-02-12
Packaged: 2017-11-29 00:41:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/680715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomatopudding/pseuds/tomatopudding
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dave and Bill have been best friends for as long as they remember. Kaley is Bill's younger sister. During college, Dave's thoughts about Kaley start to change. How will Bill react?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Could Be This Good

**Author's Note:**

> This was an assignment for my creative writing class. We had to write down on half of a conversation that we overheard. The only limit was that it could not be someone we knew. We then went through several steps to write a story surrounding the stolen conversation.

Some of Dave’s very first memories are of Bill. Back when they were still David and William and their mothers had put them in the same playpen during a dinner party. These memories were hazy, as first memories often are, but Dave knew that they were there and that made a difference. 

Their childhoods were spent almost exclusively in each other’s company. Endless days of fighting over and sharing soft plush toys evolved into action figures and awkward, childish doodles of the two of them as superheroes. These days soon made way for schoolwork and weekend sleepovers. They had settled into a routine life and weren’t inclined to change it. 

One of the clear memories that Dave had from his childhood was the day that Kaley was brought home from the hospital. The two boys had known that something was going on. Bill’s mother had been at the hospital for several days. It was like a three day sleepover for them. Although they knew that she was having a baby, it didn’t quite seem real.

“Do you want a brother or a sister?” Dave had asked, coloring the cape on his drawing of Superman.

Bill had stopped his own doodling - Spiderman, since you’re asking - and thought for a long moment.

“Brother,” he finally decided, nodding decisively, “‘Cause then I can give him my old clothes and he could be my sidekick.”

“Spiderman doesn’t have a sidekick,” Dave pointed out logically.  
It was at that moment that the door to Dave’s room opened and his mother stuck her head in.

“Hey, boys,” she said with a soft smile, “Why don’t you come downstairs and meet the newest member of the family?”

The first thing that Dave noticed was that the blanket was pink. A pink blanket could only mean one thing: a girl. Bill, however, didn’t seem to care. He was enthralled with her pudgy red face and tiny fingers.

“Her name is Kaley,” Bill’s mother said, cradling her gently, “Would you like to hold her, William?”

With his mother’s help, Bill held Kaley for the very first time.

“I like her,” Bill told his mother, “I want to keep her with me forever and ever.”

\--------------------

As time passed, however, Kaley became a nuisance. She always needed to be included in whatever they did, crying if they tried to leave her behind. It was infuriating for two eight year old boys who thought that they were so grown up and didn’t care to associate with toddlers, let alone a girl.

“Mom!” Bill complained loudly. He had to be loud to be heard over Kaley’s shrieking. 

Bill’s mother came into the room and observed the scene before her. Kaley was sitting on the floor sobbing as Bill stood with his arms crossed. Dave was off to the side trying to be as unobtrusive as possible.

“Let her play with you, William,” Bill’s mother scolded gently.

“But I don’t wanna!” Bill pouted.

“William, she’s your sister.”

Bill rolled his eyes in exasperation. 

“Fine.”

Almost immediately, Kaley stopped crying. Her face was still blotchy, but her grin spread from ear to ear.

“Weeum!” she said happily. The letter L still gave her trouble, “Weeum an’ Day-Day!”

Eventually, little Kaley grew out of that phase and then things were back to normal. Girls had cooties and sisters were lame and older brothers were stupid beings only good for rolling your eyes at. 

\--------------------

It wasn’t until after high school, and after he’d been away at college for a year that Dave actually talked with Kaley more than the compulsory greeting and dismissal. 

That wasn’t when it happened. There was no big reveal. No shy little girl suddenly blossoming into a gorgeous young woman. She was just Kaley, Bill’s little sister. 

He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment that it happened, but somewhere along the way their relationship changed. It used to be so simple before when she was just Bill’s annoying little sister, but now…now everything was just complicated and messy.

\--------------------

Time passed, years came and went. Dave and Bill were accepted into the same graduate program and Kaley ended up choosing a university nearby. In the early stages of their adulthood, Kaley and Bill grew closer as siblings and friends, a five year age gap now not seeming so large. As a result, the three of them spent many evenings out together, when their meager funds permit it. Even then, there wasn’t a sudden moment when Dave decided that Kaley was the one. They talked and joked and laughed. He posed as her boyfriend if some creep was bothering her. They would always laugh about it and never mentioned the held hands or kisses on the cheek. 

The first time it happened, Dave didn’t think anything of it. Kaley was standing by the bar as some guy with an unfortunate mustache tried to chat her up. Dave had just been walking by on his way to the bathroom when Kaley’s hand shot out and grabbed him arm.

“Sorry,” Kaley told Unfortunate Mustache, “This is my boyfriend, Dave.”

Now, Dave had taken some acting classes for easy credits as an undergrad, including some improvisation, and he was actually pretty good, thank you very much. 

“Hey, babe,” Dave drawled, slinging an arm around her waist, “This guy bothering you?”

Unfortunate Mustache gave a placating grin, hands held up in surrender. Dave kept his arm wrapped tight around Kaley until they got back to the table. Bill was nowhere to be seen - probably stuck somewhere in the heaving, gyrating crowd of twenty-somethings on the dance floor. 

“Thanks,” Kaley told him with a grin.

She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and disappeared onto the dance floor herself. Dave’s cheek burned where her lips had been.

It had been a while since he’d had a girlfriend, Dave mused, rubbing is cheek absently. It didn’t really mean anything.

Kaley continued to use him as a decoy and Dave continued to ignore the fluttering in his chest.

\--------------------

Then, one night it all came to a head.

They were going to meet at a burger joint in town, their usual spot. When Dave arrived, however, Bill was nowhere to be seen. Kaley was waiting inside and waved him over to her booth.

“Hey,” Dave greeted as he slipped into the red vinyl seat, “Where’s Billy Boy?”

“Didn’t he text you?” Kaley asked, smirking, “He’s got a huge anatomy exam coming up. He and Mike are holed up at Mike’s place with some coffee IV drips and text books that weigh the same as a small child.”

Dave laughed, “Well, I’m not lettin’ these funds of mine go to waste! Guess it’s just you and me.”

All throughout dinner, there seemed to be a different sort of air, but Dave couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was. 

\--------------------

This odd feeling continued even as they moved from the burger joint to the club.

The music was throbbing, filling the air with booming bass beats that made Dave’s chest vibrate. He gallantly refused to allow Kaley to pay and went to the bar to grab some overpriced drinks. As he was waiting for their usual beverages, Dave was suddenly hit by a realization. This was a date. He and Kaley were on a date! Swallowing down his sudden nervousness, Dave took their drinks and wound his way through the crowd to their usual table.

When their evening came to an end, it was so late that it was early and Dave offered to walk Kaley to her dorm. It was there in front of that sandstone building that they shared their first kiss. It wasn’t a perfect kiss, but it felt right. Dave was not afraid to say that he ran away.

\--------------------

Over the next few months, Dave and Kaley spent more and more time together, usually just talking, but sometimes more. Bill, being a third year medical student, was so preoccupied with preparing for his MCAT the following year and stressing over getting accepted into an internship that he would disappear for days at a time, even as spring became summer and the semester faded into vacation. 

Dave had his fair share of work to do in preparation for his steps into the world of Astrophysics, but Bill always seemed to have more.

The summer passed in a haze and the three of them were soon off to school again. Through it all, Kaley and Dave kept their relationship a secret from everyone as it grew and developed from a fling to something else entirely. 

Dave had always respected Bill. It grew from the childish fascination of being friends with someone a whole two months older. As they grew up, their bond was cemented and strengthened. It wasn’t that they lived in each others’ pockets, but Dave had gotten into the habit of asking Bill for advice on almost everything and vice versa. This was the first big thing that Dave had ever kept from Bill for any length of time. Yet, he was content to continue keeping it from his closest friend. After all, the bro code did say that ex-girlfriends and sisters were off limits. That is, until one particular night a few weeks into the semester.

\--------------------

“You should tell him.”

Kaley’s voice broke through the complacent silence and Dave’s fingers stopped their ministrations of her hair. Her head, which had been a comfortable weight on his shoulder, seemed to become as heavy as a wrecking ball.

“What?”

“He deserves to know,” Kaley continued, her hand curling around his, their legs twining together under the blanket.

“Why are you bringing this up now?” Dave asked with a sigh, “Is it because of...you know.”

“Maybe,” Kaley conceded sleepily, snuggling even further into Dave’s side, “Okay, yeah, it’s because of what you said. To be honest, I’m surprised that you kept it from him for so long. Usually you tell each other everything.”

“Well, we are pretty much brothers.”

Dave could feel Kaley’s nose wrinkle where it rested against his shoulder, “Ew, don’t even say that. That would make you my brother, too.” 

He let out a surprised bark of laughter and a snort, “Can we agree to not go there? Okay, good.”

Kaley’s giggle sent a puff of air against his cheek.

“Promise me you’ll tell him, though,” Kaley said after a moment of silence, “I think it’s time that he knew.”

“I don’t know what I’d do if he freaks out about it,” Dave admitted.

“Cross that bridge if we come to it?”

“We’re having lunch tomorrow,” Dave told Kaley, “Me and Bill, that is. I’ll tell him.”

Silence fell between then once more. It was a warm, comfortable silence, broken only by the chirping of crickets and the faint creak of the old mattress when one of them shifted. Sleep pulled at his eyes, dropping the lids first to half mast then closed.

“Dave?”

Kaley’s voice seemed to come from far away, muffled by contentment and night air.

“Can you say it again? Please?”

It took a few moments for Dave’s sleepy brain to catch up with what he’d heard, but when it did he smiled softly and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

“I love you, Kaley.”

The last thing Dave heard before he finally drifted of to sleep was a very soft, “I love you, too.”

\--------------------

“Okay, man, see you soon.”

Dave ended his call with Bill, hung up the phone and placed it on the table. He rubbed his suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans, the sound of his skin rasping against the fabric strangely soothing. He knew that conversation had been stilted and strange sounding. Bill must realize already that something was up.

“Hey.”

Speak of the devil, Dave thought as Bill plopped down in the seat across from him and started unwrapping his sandwich. 

“What’s up, man, you look like you’re gonna blow chunks,” Bill said in a muffled voice through a bite of turkey and cheese.

Dave tried to speak, but the word caught. He cleared his throat and tried again.

“Yeah,” Dave managed to say, “I’ve got something to tell you.”

“Dude, what’s with the serious voice? Did something happen?”

Bill was starting to sound worried now and his eyebrows were raised questioningly.

“Sort of, well, no not really. You know that girl I’ve been seeing?” 

“The one you won’t tell me anything about?” Bill clarified.

“Yeah, well, it’s getting kind of serious so I, I mean we, thought you should know that the girl I’m seeing...it’s Kaley.”

Dave cringed and waited for the explosion. At first, there was nothing, just a faint rustle as Bill put down his sandwich. 

“Dude, that’s awesome!”

Dave looked at his friend in shock, “I-it is?” he stammered, “I mean, it is, but....it is?”

“Totally.”

“Um, just to be sure, you do know that I mean your sister, right?”

Bill laughed, “Yeah, I got that. Seriously, how long have we known each other?”

“Forever.”

“Forever, exactly, I mean our parents were best friends before we were born so we practically grew up together. Who do you think I’d rather have Kaley date, my best bro or some random dude she met at a bar? I know which one I would choose. Just, you know, don’t give me any details.

Dave laughed, the tension he had been holding in his shoulders melting away, “Can do.”

“Now, enough with the mushy stuff, let’s talk football. Did you see that ludicrous display last night?” 

\--------------------

Dave nervously fiddled with the collar of his light blue button down. There was no reason for him to be this stressed. The three of them had gone out together multiple times since he and Kaley had gotten together. This time felt different; no, it didn’t just feel different, it was different. This was the first time they would be hanging out together since Dave had revealed his relationship with Kaley to Bill. Sure, Bill could say that he was okay with their relationship, but it was a different thing entirely to have it in his face all night.

They had all decided on a neutral place, nowhere too romantic feeling, but also not a complete dump. One of the perks of the town they were in was that there were many things to do that were near to both of the campuses they studied at. One of these attractions was a small, privately owned bowling alley. 

In his nervousness, Dave had arrived early and was now standing awkwardly right inside the front door. Kaley was the first to arrive and he accepted her welcoming kiss with a shaky smile.

“It’s going to be fine,” Kaley assured him with a grin, slipping her smaller hand into his, lacing their fingers together, “He said he was okay with us. He’s more than okay with us.”

“Yeah,” Dave commented faintly.

Bill was walking through the door and Dave tightened his grip on Kaley’s hand, taking a deep breath. Hopefully his fears were pointless and unfounded. Hopefully.

\--------------------

Dave’s worries seemed so far away now. He almost couldn’t remember why he thought Bill would be mad at him anymore. Although a lingering doubt still floated in his mind, things didn’t seem to be any different when he was hanging out with Bill and Kaley now than before the big reveal. 

It was nice to know, Dave thought with a grin as he listened to the siblings tease each other over their terrible bowling scores.

It was nice to know that things could be this good.

**Author's Note:**

> I know that it's kind of a cheesy happy ending. So sue me. Actually, please don't.


End file.
